Three Students Drown While Swimming With Teacher in the Indian Ocean
Three students from Lamu County tragically lost their lives after drowning in the Indian Ocean while swimming at Shela Beach.
According to reports, the Kenya Coast Guard, in collaboration with the Red Cross and county officers, successfully recovered two of the bodies. Efforts to locate the third student are still ongoing.
The students, all from Hongwe in Mpeketoni, were part of a group of over twenty students who had been escorted to the beach by their teacher on Sunday, April 13. The beach visit followed a church service.
Authorities confirmed that the three victims were overwhelmed by strong waves, leading to their drowning. This heartbreaking incident follows another similar tragedy that occurred a month earlier.
On Saturday, March 8, a young girl died during a swimming fun day at a recreational park in Kamulu. According to her parents, the child was found in the deep end of the swimming pool. They allege that there was no adequate supervision or safety personnel present at the time.
“I was with my daughter at 11:15 a.m., and by 1:15 p.m., she was gone,” said the grieving father. “The fact that she was found in the deep end shows there was no one watching. No lifesaver was present, and that is why she died.”
He attributed the incident to negligence by both the school and the facility. The matter was reported to Nairobi City County official Geoffrey Mosiria, who condemned the situation and called on the Ruai Officer Commanding Police Division (OCPD) and Kamulu Police Station OCS to launch a formal investigation.
Despite repeated follow-ups, the parents claim they have yet to receive a clear explanation of what transpired. A postmortem confirmed that the child died by drowning.
Mr. Mosiria urged the Kamulu police to treat the matter with urgency and called for the immediate closure of the facility to facilitate investigations.
Following preliminary inquiries, it was discovered that the facility lacked guardrails and a designated emergency safety area. It also did not have a certified safety attendant on duty, and loud music was being played at the time—conditions that may have hindered any potential rescue efforts.
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Three Students Drown While Swimming With Teacher in the Indian Ocean